Facilitating Self-Efficacy for Knowledge Workers

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Pharmacy and other health care professions operate within a knowledge environment. Pharmacy personnel of all types have an extraordinary wealth of knowledge at their fingertips, available on the internet, through easy access on their phones, tablets, social media, and other platforms.

Each individual is different, yet knowledge workers in health care aim for similar personal objectives. Beyond safety, security, and even a sense of belonging, knowledge workers are seeking self-actualization. In other words, they are hoping to become wholly fulfilled by the various roles they play in society, including at work. Everyone wants to feel as though they are contributing to something larger than themselves and that the contributions they make to the employing organization are highly valued. This is the same for all pharmacy personnel, including peer pharmacists, managers, technicians, and clerks.

The importance of self-efficacy cannot be overlooked. Self-efficacy is a person’s perceived ability to carry out responsibilities in a certain situation, given their own abilities, the resources to which they have availed, and the clarity of the job and outcomes they are assigned to undertake and produce. A study by Desselle et al examined the self-efficacies of pharmacy technicians.1 The findings suggest that technicians were ready to take on additional roles in providing patient care, thus freeing up pharmacists to practice at the top of their license. They also found that technicians with higher self-efficacies to assume new roles reported greater commitment to their employer and profession.

The results of this study underscore how pharmacists are assuming greater responsibility in managing systems and personnel. While still involved in traditional management functions of organizing, coordinating, and even controlling certain processes, they are also energizing, supporting, empowering, motivating, and communicating effectively with employees. This helps us all move forward.

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